To all,I just read some stuff that sent me on a tirade and I wanted to put it out there for others to check out. I'm as much of a health nut as anyone I know and I was FLOORED when I started looking into this. This is a well written (long) article with no less than 116 references, but those that frequent this site should appreciate the thoroughness. The research I did on my own proves this is a serious, little known issue. Below are some of the excerpts that just blew my mind (and it doesn't get any better). Read the article and do your own research, you'll be as pissed as I am! As luck would have it, it's best absorbed through the skin and pulmonary system than if taken orally (as is most stuff). Obviously where you live will affect the amount your getting on a daily basis. Here is the link to the article and link to a great website with reference links.

Excerpts:

It is a substance that, according to government reports, has been known since 1930 to have such a powerful effect upon thyroid function, it has been used in prescription medications to treat hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). It can, therefore, along with our food pyramid of "dough", be reasonably marked as a suspicious agent contributing to the current epidemic of obesity and thyroid problems. (31, 32, 33, 34)

It is a substance that has also long been known to cause or exacerbate the exact periodontal disease resulting in the tooth loss that has caught the attention of the Surgeon General. In addition to being a causative agent in periodontal disease, it is a substance that is known to accumulate in the teeth and bones creating brittleness, and for this reason it has also been associated with osteoporosis and other bone diseases and disorders that are also now being seen in America.

The mysterious substance is so corrosive, when added to water it will eat its way through a titanium container. Since it will eat its way through titanium, perhaps it should not come as a great surprise to learn that it is also known to act as a severe corrosive agent on human gastric and mucosal tissues. (35, 36, 37, 38)

As Americans' afflictions continue to unfold unlike anything else that humanity has known and brought upon itself, we also learn that the material, once thought unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, crosses it rather well. It also concentrates in the pineal gland that is located within the brain. (39, 40, 41, 42)

In a recent paper authored by Myron Coplan, PE, and Roger Masters, PhD, a professor at Dartmouth, the authors discovered that a subtle but potentially lethal change in F additives took place shortly after the fluoride experimentation on Americans began. In 1947 instead of higher-grade NaF or sodium fluoride - silicofluorides, or SiFs, were substituted as the fluorinating compound in drinking water. This switch was carried out under the gross misconception that all F compounds are the same. As outlined in some largely ignored research, however, one part of SiF is substantially more potent than six parts of NaF. Despite this evidence, and despite the fact that it is now SiF rather than NaF primarily being used in American water fluoridation, Masters and Coplan found that "virtually all the extensive laboratory research on the biological properties and effects of fluoride in water has been performed using NaF rather than SiFs..." (52)

Merck gives the definition of silicofluoride as, "fluorosilicate is a compound of silicon and some other base with fluorine, such as sodium silicofluoride; fluorosilicates are sometimes used as insecticides, and are very toxic when ingested. Called also silicofluoride." (53)

While many are still assuming that the SiF compounds being added to drinking water are high-grade pharmaceuticals, the CDC's National Fluoridation Engineer has publicly stated that all fluoride compounds currently used for water fluorination are "byproducts of the phosphate fertilizer industry." (54)

Because of the toxic nature of this compound, the SiF being added to drinking water is an industrial waste that would otherwise have to be disposed of by the industry that created it, and it would have to be disposed of according to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HAZMAT). Disposal of toxic substances under hazmat regulations, however, results in an expense for the industries.

This costly disposal dilemma - and its clever marketing remedy - was expertly summed up in a 1983 letter written by EPA's Rebecca Hanmer, (formerly the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water), who stated that by putting the SiF waste into drinking water rather than disposing of it, an important financial savings is made for the industry. Miss Hanmer wrote that this industrial plan is "...an ideal solution to a long standing problem. By recovering by-product fluosilicic acid (sic) from fertilizer manufacturing, water and air pollution are minimized, and water authorities have a low-cost source of fluoride..." (55)

In a journal found in the National Library of Medicine, studies have shown that in doses as low as 3 mg per day, fluoride has produced toxic effects on male reproductive hormones. Despite what Americans are being told by fluoridation promoters, the negative effects of F upon both body and mind have not only been discovered, but they have also been duly reported, albeit in areas and texts that most Americans - including professionals - do not regularly access, subscribe to or read. (61, 62, 63, 64)

Perhaps the most amazing fact of all discovered by those daring to ask questions, is the fact that the F compound being added into our drinking water under a promised, medicinal claim, has not ever been approved by the FDA.

One statement prepared by J. William Hirzy, Ph.D. of the EPA Headquarters Union of scientists, summarizes the stand of approximately 1500 scientists and professionals in Washington, D.C. "... our opposition to drinking water fluoridation has grown, based on the scientific literature documenting the increasingly out-of-control exposures to fluoride, the lack of benefit to dental health from ingestion of fluoride and the hazards to human health from such ingestion. These hazards include acute toxic hazard, such as to people with impaired kidney function, as well as chronic toxic hazards of gene mutations, cancer, reproductive effects, neurotoxicity, bone pathology and dental fluorosis." In another statement issued before the Subcommittee on Drinking Water in D.C., Dr. Hirzy urged an immediate moratorium on water fluoridation, citing among other possible links, the growing psychological problems children are now suffering. (73, 74)

While a lot of people might chalk this up to overblown hype and paranoia, I'm going to look into getting some filters for our shower heads and pick up some non-fluoride toothpaste. I've recently discovered that I have a low body temp; waking temp is 96.6 consistently (where normal is about 97.4) and day/nighttime temps never get to 98.6 unless I take a hot shower. I've had my thyroid tested (came out normal) and am now testing my adrenal function. My T levels are also low (barely in the "normal" range) and I'm determined to get to the bottom of both these issues.

If I can do something low cost like this that might make a difference, I'm going to do it. While I try not to be a conspiracy theorist, I don't doubt that things like water fluoridation might just be one of those things we've just accepted (it's good for your health!) where, in fact, it is detrimental to us.

At first I thought this was bullshit and I was going to slam you for posting this here. But then I searched several dozen websites looking for a single one that condones or supports water fluoridation and I couldn't find any. All I found were countless websites citing countless studies on why the risks outweigh the benefits. It seems pretty stupid to me that we use such a potentially dangerous chemical to help prevent something that is easily preventable with proper hygiene. Scary stuff. Really not all that different from the soy situation. Someone has an abundance of a substance they want to dispose of, they make up a story about how beneficial it is and they sell it to unsuspecting people who don't bother to look at the big picture.

So much for that idea. I've been looking around for a shower filter that gets rid of fluoride and I can't find a single one. The only ones I can find that remove fluoride are whole-house and undercounter models (read: $$$).

I knew by posting this that it could possibly come across as a "conspiracy" type thing but I was hopeful most people here would do their own research as I did. When flouride was first added to water supplies many, many years ago, it made some sense and was somewhat beneficial. Unfortunately nowadays we get flouride from practically everything we eat or drink and that it's added to the water supply is completely unnecessary. T-Mag has already done an article on the effect of environmental estrogen....add to that Soy....do we really want this extra crap in our water?The big concern is the cumulative effect over several years since it builds up in your system. In case some people weren't aware, another name for sodium flouride is "rat poison"....I myself want as little as possible. The biggest reason everyone here should be particularly concerned should be obvious, we as athletes drink WAY more water than the average person...and take more showers. If your thinking your safer because you only drink bottled water, you'll be disappointed to know that fluoridation of bottled water is completely UNREGULATED. Luckily the study I found on PubMed found levels to be generally lower than the average household but varied quite a bit from brand to brand.Some people may think it's a little far-fetched but it's funny how some of the ailments of most concern lately, Osteoporosis, Gastro Intestinal, Attention Deficit and aggressive behavior, Low thyroid levels and Diabetes, Test Levels....all symptoms of Flouride toxicity. Point to one single, universal thing that people can't avoid and it's WATER.As "gumnutza" pointed out, you'll find tons of stuff about the detrimental effects, but the only positive reason the pro-flouride people have is that it "prevents tooth decay"....and we don't even need it for that ANYMORE!The thing that bothers me most is the statement from the EPA saying that most flouride in our water is a byproduct of the fertilizer industry, which ordinarily would be a HAZARDOUS WASTE that would cost huge dollars for them to dispose of. Instead, lets actually sell the waste to municipalities (they don't give it away) and have everyone everywhere consume it in very small amounts under the guise that we'll all have fewer cavities....THAT WAY EVERYONE WINS! The fertilizer industry gets rid of their toxic waste and we happily accept it.Like I said, don't listen to me, do your own research. One of the quotes I read from a major Dental Conference stated that "If the decision makers in a certain area are too educated on the effects of Flouride, it could be too difficult or impossible to convince them of the benefits of Flouridation." On your toothpaste tube it says, "If you swallow more toothpaste than you use to brush your teeth with, call poison control and get help immediately!"....and we athletes drink how much water a day? Below are some links that I found during my own research. These pertain to human studies but if you dig into animal studies it gets overwhelming. Obviously human and animal studies don't always coinside but we're talking about the effects of a toxin here. Suffice to say, anything that will kill an animal probably isn't good for us either......